Sorry Day
Feather Flowers Workshop with Aunty Glenda Nicholls

To mark Sorry Day, join Aunty Glenda Nicholls (Waddi Waddi, Ngarrindjeri and Yorta Yorta) in a creative workshop in making Feather Flowers in the colours of the National Sorry Day Flower – the Native Hibiscus.  Learn about the cultural significance of feather flowers in Koorie communities, and view some of the precious feather flowers in the KHT Collection.  Aunty Glenda will guide you through the technique of making the flowers, as well as her belief in paying respects to birds and animals.

This is also a time to reflect on and learn about the Stolen Generations and the stories of individuals, families and communities who have been impacted over time.

The National Sorry Day flower is the Native Hibiscus (also known as Native Cotton or Desert Rose). It is a five-petal, purple flower found widely across Australia. The National Stolen Generations Alliance approved the Native Hibiscus as the official symbol for Sorry Day. The flower is chosen to symbolize the resilience and survivor instinct of the Stolen Generations, with its purple color denoting compassion and spiritual he

• All materials supplied.
• Light catering also provided.
• Free but bookings required.
• Suitable for ages 12+.  Under 18 year olds should be accompanied by an adult. 

Aunty Glenda Nicholls grew up around the Swan Hill area. Glenda watched her mother and Grandmother make feather flowers and do basket weaving.

As a Wadi Wadi, Yorta Yorta and Ngarrindgeri aritst, Aunty Glenda Nicholls grew up around the Swan Hill area. Glenda watched her mother and Grandmother make feather flowers and do basket weaving.

 Her cultural name is Jule Yarra Minj (‘little river girl’) and her maternal Ngarrindjeri totem is the Writcharuki (willy-willy wagtail).

 She is a master weaver, constructing elaborate sculptural works that connect the present with her ancestral past. She applies cultural weaving techniques acquired from her ancestors alongside intimate knowledge of the waterways, plants and grasses on her Country

 While working with the feathers Glenda liked to think of the animals and pay them respect.

 She believes in community, as it will share these traditions with future generations.

Sorry Day

National Sorry Day in Australia, observed annually on May 26th, is a day to remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities. It marks the anniversary of the tabling of the “Bringing Them Home” report in 1997, which documented the forced removals of Indigenous children.